


Reprise (DISCONTINUED AND BEING REWRITTEN)

by branwyns



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Adjacent, By Canon Adjacent I mean like. this basically follows canon except when it doesnt., Canon-Typical Violence, F/F, F/M, Genderfluid Pyrrha Nikos, Multi, Nonbinary Blake Belladonna, Nonbinary Lie Ren, Polyamory, Trans Nora Valkyrie, Trans Ruby Rose (RWBY), Transfem Pyrrha Nikos, eventual polyamory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-26
Updated: 2021-01-22
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:02:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 11,210
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26128480
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/branwyns/pseuds/branwyns
Summary: What if RWBY's partners were swapped? What if Blake chose Ruby in the forest?[DISCONTINUED AND BEING REWRITTEN]
Relationships: Blake Belladonna/Ruby Rose, Other Relationship Tags to Be Added, Pyrrha Nikos/Weiss Schnee/Yang Xiao Long/Nora Valkyrie, Pyrrha Nikos/Yang Xiao Long
Comments: 11
Kudos: 67





	1. Vale Arc: Prologue - Red

**Author's Note:**

> Basically I wanted to see what would be different about RWBY if Ladybug was the canon endgame ship :3c
> 
> i update as frequently as i can which will hopefully be weekly? but writing is hard man

A young girl stands alone in front of a grave marker, a red hood up over her head. Bright red rose petals flow off her cloak and swirl with falling snow. She kneels down and traces numb fingers over cold stone, over the engraving.

_Summer Rose_

_Loving Wife and Mother_

_39 A.G.W - 65 A.G.W_

**_Thus Kindly I Scatter_ **

Snow drifts down around her as she bows her head. She murmurs something too quiet to hear even in the silence of the winter forest.

She climbs to her feet and turns away from the gravestone. She begins the long trek home through the snow-covered woods. The trunks of the trees look black in the lowlight and she keeps her head down to keep the falling snow out of her eyes.

The snow crunches under her boots as she walks. She can hear large creatures moving just beyond what she can see, but she doesn't hasten her pace.

Soon she comes to a clearing and knows she'll be home soon. A horde of wolf-like monsters surrounds her. They rush at her and with a whirl of her cloak she vanishes.

Up above the monsters' heads her hood falls and she pulls out a dark red rifle, firing once into the horde and killing one. Her silver eyes glow in the moonlight. Petals and snow and blood mix as she fires twice more before landing. Her rifle unfolds into a large scythe and she cuts down another creature. 

More and more creatures pour out of the treeline and the girl begins moving faster. The scythe-rifle fires and slices as she flips and kicks, knocking the flying body parts into other monsters. She slips the curved blade under one's throat and flips herself on top of its head, firing a single shot that sends her ricochetting up. Two monsters leap after her and she cuts them down in mid-air. As she falls she braces herself for a hit she knows she can't dodge and gets flung back multiple feet. She sinks the blade of her scythe into the ground and stops herself. She looks up and finds more creatures have congregated. She releases her empty magazine and grabs a new one off her belt.

She slides the blade behind her and readies herself. The rifle cocks.

Everything blurs around her as she shoots forward, cutting down every monster in her path. Bullet shells join the flying petals and blood amongst the snow as she loses herself in the fight. One final shot and the last is taken out.

She drops to the snow and settles the top of her scythe on the ground. Her bullet shells fall around her and she breathes slowly.

A large raven takes off from the treeline as she continues the trudge back to her home.


	2. Prologue - White

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Everyone is entilted to their own sorrow, for the heart has no metrics or form of measure. And all of it... irreplaceable_

Another girl takes the stage at her recital. Her white hair flows back as she moves and a long scar runs over her left eye and cheekbone.

A voice announces her. _"Ladies and gentlemen please welcome...Weiss Schnee."_

People begin snapping pictures of her. Weiss shuts her eyes as a piano begins to play, then she opens her mouth and sings.

_"Mirror, tell me something. Tell me who's the loneliest of all…"_

…

The same white haired girl waits in an empty ballroom. A large skylight lets in the light from the moon, the only source of light in the entire cavernous space. A low groaning, creaking noise echoes out from a kneeling suit of armour. It stands and draws its sword. She flips out of the way as it crashes down and draws her own weapon, an ornate rapier. She strikes the knight in rapid succession and braces herself against its retaliation. She smoothly flips out of the way of its blade once, twice, before getting knocked back. She lands on her feet.

She creates a snowflake-shaped glyph under her feet and zips forward, avoiding the knight's sword with ease. More glyphs help her stay out of its reach and strike against it quickly. She leaps over a swing of the sword and…

Gets punched across the room. She doesn't manage to land on her feet this time. She slowly pushes herself to a sitting position. She climbs to her feet as blood gushes slowly down her face. She squints her left eye and tries to see through the blood. 

_"Do you give, Miss Schnee?"_ her father's assistant asks.

Weiss sets her jaw, picks her sword up, and prepares herself to finish this fight.

A noise not dissimilar to the spinning of an old revolver comes from her rapier and flames start curling off the blade. The knight rushes her and slams its sword down on hers. It is forced back by the flames. She smirks, spins, slams the blade onto the floor and sends ice after it. It's her turn to run at the knight, leaping up and landing on its sword. She rolls forward and attacks its hand, sending the sword and herself flying. She hits the ground and creates a larger glyph, dodging out of the way as the knight charges again. It lands on the glyph and she does a complicated maneuver with her rapier that makes the glyph explode and the knight fly into the air. She sends a set of smaller glyphs after it, pinning it in place. Another glyph and she's launched into the air, a click and her sword lights up bright white. She comes down on the knight and cuts it down.

She kneels on the cold marble floor and slowly reaches up to touch her bloody face.

 _"Very good, Miss Schnee,"_ the assistant says over the intercom.

…

 _"I'm the loneliest…of all…"_ she sings, back on the stage. Her eyes flutter open to the sound of fervent applause and the feeling of snow on her skin. She looks up at the cracked moon, then curtseys to her audience. White curtains fall to conceal her from the crowd and she reaches up to stroke the scar on her face.


	3. Prologue - Black

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Your hopes have become my burden. I will find my own liberation_

A third girl sits on a rock in a different forest. The leaves are all bright reds and oranges and yellows and she sits with her face upturned and eyes closed. She is unmoving except for her hair that has been caught by a breeze.

A man walks up behind the rock.

" _Blake, it's time_."

Blake turns towards him slowly and nods once. _"Okay."_

She follows behind him as they run through the forest until they come to a large cliff. The high sun glints off the roof of a fast-moving train cutting through the center of the forest.

He gives her a single nod and they jump at the same time, sliding down the cliff face until they can push off to land on top of the train.

They immediately leap to the next car and Blake's companion slashes the hatch open. They drop down into the dark.

He swears under his breath a moment before the androids that fill the space come to life. She glances up at him.

" _Guess we'll be doing this the hard way_ ," he says. Blake rolls her eyes.

 _"Don't be so dramatic._ "

The guns on every android's arms cock.

 _"Intruder, identify yourself,"_ one says. He scoffs and flicks his sword out of its sheath to slam into the robot's head. His form blurred as he snatched it by the hilt and sliced the android in two.

The rest of them deploy their blades and the two intruders smirk. Blake becomes a blur of cream and grey and brown as she spins and twists away from the extended blades. Her ribbon-held kusarigama switches to a katana mid slice and then back again so she can swing out from an impaled robot to kick at another. 

Her companion slams his foot into one of the androids and sends it crashing through the door of the car. He waves her through and they run out into the bright sun to see a horde of androids rushing them. She sighs a little and prepares for another fight.

She hopes this won't be the final one.

 _"Let's do this,"_ he says, and they leap into the fight. Blake falls into a steady rhythm of jumping and slashing. Eventually she switches her weapon to its ribbon-scythe/pistol form and starts taking out enemies from a distance and in greater numbers. When the last one falls, her companion signals to move onto the next car.

He opened a box of crystals and smiled. _"Move on to the next car. I'll set the charges."_

Blake steps back. _"What about the crew members?"_ she asks.

He tilts his head to the side and the smile drops off his face.

_"What about them?"_

Both of them snap their heads around at a new noise. A large...spider-like robot drops from the ceiling and deploys what looks like very, very large shotguns at them.

 _"Adam,"_ Blake says, now very anxious.

He ignores her and rushes forward, catching blasts with his sword. Blake follows and moves in front of him, dodging the blasts and leaping up to strike.

It knocks her back and she slams into the ground. Adam races forward and starts slashing at it to no avail. It kicks him and sends him flying back. It fires at him and attempts to crush Blake under one of its many legs. Adam grabs her just in time.

 _"We need to get out of here!"_ Blake says. The Spider-Droid fires a much bigger blast at them and throws them from the car. It follows them out and prepares another barrage.

 _"Buy me some time!"_ he yells at her. 

_"Are you sure?"_

_"Do it!"_

Blake runs forward, dodging as she goes. She flicks her weapon back into chain scythe/pistol mode and swings herself up above the Spider-Droid. She yanks the blade out of it and attacks from above, then fires at point-blank range into what she assumes is its head. She throws herself back and flips her way to Adam's side. He tells her to get out of the way and draws his sword.

The robot prepares another huge blast and Blake quietly moves to the next car. Adam takes it down with a final strike and turns to her. He puts a hand out.

_"Blake-"_

She closes her eyes. _"Goodbye,"_ she says, and cuts the connection between the cars. She watches as his car slows until he's not even a dot in her sight and lets a few tears escape.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Your tag says Blake is nonbinary, why are you calling them a girl and using she/her?" Blake hasn't come to the realization they're nonbinary yet! That will happen later. Also her pronouns will be 'She/They' <3


	4. Prologue - Yellow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Scathing eyes ask that we be symmetrical, one sided and easily processed. Yet every misshapen spark's unseen beauty is greater than its would be judgement_

A final girl rides a motorcycle. His blonde hair whips around in the wind and he grins ecstatically as he pushes the bike to go even faster. 

He starts to slow as he approaches a club. The sign reads " _Junior's_ " in glowing red letters. 

He dismounts from the bike and pulls his helmet and riding goggles off. He tosses his head back confidently and strides into the building and up to the bar. He stops next to a large man and leans over to wave at the bartender.

_"Strawberry Sunrise. No ice. Oh! And one of those little umbrellas!"_

The man glances at him. _"Aren't you a little Young to be in this club, Blondie?"_

Got him.

He bats his eyes and smiles prettily. _"Aren't you a little old to have a name like Junior?"_ he asks. 

He seems mildly impressed. _"So you know who I am. You got a name, Sweetheart?"_

He giggles and crosses his arms. 

_"Yes, Junior, I have several."_ He begins walking his fingers down his chest. _"But instead of 'sweetheart', you can just call me_ **_Sir._ **" He grabs his balls and smiles ferociously. He makes a terrified noise.

While Junior whines, the blonde keeps talking.

 _"People say you know everything. Tell me where I can find her and I'll let you go."_ He shows Junior a picture on his Scroll.

 _"I've never seen her before! I swear!"_ he squeals.

He tightens his grip.

_"Excuse me?"_

_"I swear, Sir!"_

_"Hmm...looks like we have an audience,"_ he says sweetly, _"this must be kind of embarrassing for you, huh? Awkward!"_

_"Listen, Blondie, Sir, if you wanna make it outta this club alive, I suggest you let me go, now!"_

He lets go. He stays hunched over for a few more seconds, before starting to walk away. He clears his throat. _"You'll pay for that."_

He pitches his voice up playfully. _"Oh, Junior, I was just playing with you! Don't be so sensitive~."_

He continues walking away from him.

_"C'mooon. Let's kiss and make up okay?"_

He stops and looks at him. _"Huh?"_

He giggles and covers his mouth.

 _"Okay,"_ he says. He leans in and so does Junior, and the instant before he can actually kiss him--

_Bam!_

His fist connects with Junior's jaw and sends him flying into the far wall. Civilian club-goers run off the dance floor and she prepares for a brawl. Junior's goons turn to him with snarls on their faces and he grins at them, golden bracelets unfolding into a pair of yellow gauntlets. A noise like a shotgun cocking echoes out in the instant before the men rush him. He jumps up, uses one of the men's heads as extra leverage, and cocks her fist back. He slams down and shatters the dance floor, sending the entire mass of men flying off into different parts of the club. 

He stands up slowly and then rushes them, jumping up to bring his foot down to crack against one's head and spinning around to punch another in the gut. Every punch sends another shot and takes down another goon. He twists and flips through the crowd, fists and feet making constant connection with the various opponents, throwing them and shattering glass pillars with their momentum.

The D.J. stands up with an automatic and starts firing at him. He ducks and dodges and jumps up over the railing to grab him, kick him, and send him flying with two simultaneous shots. 

The D.J. slams to the ground and slides to a stop in front of two identical girls. 

_"Melanie, who is this girl?"_ the one wearing black and red asks.

 _"I dunno, Miltia, but we should teach her a lesson,"_ Melanie says.

Ah. The Malachite twins. Junior's two bodyguards. He grins at them and empties his shotgun-gauntlets of their shells. He pulls out two fresh belts of ammo and loads them into his weapons. He leaps off the D.J.'s balcony and starts firing at the twins. The girls' teamwork is good, leaving him struggling to keep up with his usual fighting style. He crashes forward and knocks Melanie away to save himself a bit of energy. One-on-one is always preferable when dealing with teams. Miltia is easy to take out once her sister isn't there to pick up the slack. A few well placed hits and she goes flying through another glass pillar. Melanie is another story, her kick-based style almost too much for the blonde girl. They dance for a moment, trading tentative blows until Melanie slips up. The blonde girl grabs her by the arm and spins her, lets her go, and slams his leg into her chest, knocking her to the floor.

The Malachites stumble off the dance floor as their boss steps back out with a --

Is that a fucking rocket launcher?

 _"You're gonna pay for this,"_ he growls.

He dodges the first volley, then chooses to shoot down the next one. Junior appears from the smoke, the rocket launcher now a bat. He hits him with it once, twice, thrice, and then hard enough to send him flying back.

He climbs to his feet and laughs, he can feel his hair lighting up, feel his eyes slipping from dark brown to glowing red.

He gets in close, dodges the bat, gets in Junior's guard and releases his own attack, sharp punches that snap his head from side to side. A final hit that has him stumbling and sliding back. Junior holds up a fistful of his hair and smirks.

The entire world goes red.

He sprints forward with an enraged scream as he starts to feel white-hot under his skin. He feels his fist connect with his face and watches him go flying out of a window. He follows him and slams down on a lot more glass than he expected.

Did he blow out every window in the place?

 _"Yang?"_ a very familiar voice asks.

He looks up.

 _"_ Jiě _, is that you?"_ A Young teenager, wearing a bright red cloak. His little sister.

_"Oh! Hey, Ruby!"_

Ruby sits her hands on her hips. _"What are you doing here!"_ she asks. Yang looks down and toes the ground. He sighs.

_"It's a long story."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Jiě_ \- Big sister  
> "Why is Yang using he/him?" Yang is a he/him lesbian in this 'verse. He doesn't identify a specific way in terms of gender, he's just a lesbian bro.


	5. Prologue - Chess as a Metaphor for War

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _But perhaps victory is in the things you've long forgotten._

_"Legends. Stories scattered through time. Mankind has grown quite fond of recounting the exploits of heroes and villains, forgetting so easily that we are remnants, byproducts, of a forgotten past._

_"Man, born from dust, was strong, wise, and resourceful, but he was born into an unforgiving world. An inevitable darkness — creatures of destruction — the creatures of Grimm — set their sights on man and all of his creations. These forces clashed, and it seemed the darkness was intent on returning man's brief existence to the void._

_"However, even the smallest spark of hope is enough to ignite change, and in time, man's passion, resourcefulness, and ingenuity led them to the tools that would help even the odds. This power was appropriately named_ Dust _._

_"Nature's wrath in hand, man lit their way through the darkness, and in the shadow's absence came strength, civilization, and most importantly, life."_

In a dark room sit two people. One, a woman with white hair and white skin, with black veins running all over her body, and glowing red eyes speaks. She sits in front of the "Black" set on a chessboard. She tilts her head to the side and ponders her next move. Her hand hovers over a Rook. She has been speaking throughout their match, almost telling her companion a story. She moves the piece decisively and captures a White Bishop.

_"But even the most brilliant lights eventually flicker and die. And when they are gone... darkness will return."_

She smiles at the person across from her, a pale man with pale hair.

_"So you may prepare your guardians, build your monuments to a so-called "free world", but take heed... there will be no victory in strength."_

He hums softly and takes his turn. 

_"But perhaps victory is in the simpler things that you've long forgotten."_

He picks up a White Pawn and smiles back at her.

_"Things that require a smaller, more honest soul."_

The Pawn seems to almost glow as he settles it down on the board. A simple move that makes no captures, but threatens the integrity of her own defenses as his pieces creep closer. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And this brings us to the end of our prologues of the Vale Arc.


	6. Chapter One: Ruby Rose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I want to be a Huntress."

Ruby reached up and adjusted the volume on her headphones. Yang said he would text when he was finished hanging out with his friends so they could head back to Signal to pack up their stuff before they went back to their dad's house for the 3 week break between school years.

She flipped a page in the Weapons magazine she was reading and gave a delighted gasp. A wonderful array of Dust-powered rifles greeted her, all in different sizes and colours! She pulled the magazine closer and drank in the information each image had written beside it.

She just barely heard the bell ring as more customers came in. She hummed excitedly and bounced on the balls of her feet. A hand grabbed her shoulder.

Ruby turned slowly and was surprised to see a man in a suit behind her. He pointed at his ear, then gestured at her. She pulled her headphones off.

"Is the store closing?" she asked. The man snorted and pointed a katana at her.

"Hands up, kid."

Ruby blinked once. "Are you...robbing me?" she asked incredulously.

"Yes!" he snapped.

"Ooooh…" She took a deep breath, shifted her weight to her left foot and kicked as hard as she could with her right, just like Yang taught her. "HYAH!" she yelled.

(Yang told her yelling helped tighten the core muscles and made hand-to-hand attacks more powerful. _A-Diē_ said it did no such thing. She chose to believe Yang.)

The guy went flying to the front of the shop. She gave a giddy little grin but before she could celebrate the small win, another, similarly dressed man ran up. This one pointed a gun at her.

Ruby pulled Crescent Rose from her back and rushed the goon. She gave herself a little Semblance boost and sent them flying out the front window. She stood up slowly. Crescent Rose unfolded into her scythe form as Ruby made eye contact with a scowling, red-haired man. She slammed the blade into the ground and clicked her headphones off. He hissed through his teeth, tossed his head in her direction, and snarled. "Get her!" 

Ruby let herself smirk as the goons rushed her. _Just like Yang and Uncle Qrow taught you,_ she thought. 

She jumped over one's sword and kicked out at him, spinning herself on Crescent Rose. Her feet made contact on the second pass and sent him flying. She used her momentum and pulled Crescent Rose with her to leap out of the way of two more henchmen. One shot and she spun around to hit one with the end of her weapon. A second shot and she slammed the blunter side of the bladed end of Crescent Rose into another. A couple more shots to let her avoid gunfire and she was rushing forward to knock another one over.

She planted Crescent Rose again and spun in the air, yanking the weapon out of the ground and using it like a bat to smack away the final opponent.

She landed and heard a sigh.

"You were worth every cent. Truly you were," the red-haired man said sarcastically. He pulled his cigar out of his mouth. "Well, _Red_ , I think we can all say it's been an eventful evening!"

The cigar dropped to the ground where he crushed it with the butt of his cane.

"And as much as I'd _love_ to stick around," he lifted the cane and pointed the end at her. "I'm afraid _this,_ " A sight popped up at the end.

 _Ah,_ she thought, _a hidden weapon._

"Is where we part ways." He fired a Fire Dust round at her. She leapt out of the way to avoid it. When she landed she looked around frantically for him, not willing to let such a dangerous man escape from justice. Or, well, being arrested at least.

She whipped around and spotted him climbing a ladder on the side of a building. She chewed on her lip for a second, then turned to the shop owner.

"You okay if I go after him?"

He nodded and waved her off. She gave chase, using Crescent Rose to bolster her speed without wearing down her Aura by using her Semblance.

"Hey!" she yelled. He stopped at the edge of the roof.

 _"Persistent_ ," he muttered. Ruby adjusted her grip on Crescent Rose and prepared for a fight.

She leapt back when an airship suddenly rose beside the building. She put her arm up to protect her eyes from the dust and debris being flung around as he hopped into the open side of it.

"End of the line, Red!" he yelled, then threw a Fire Dust crystal at her feet. She took a step back from it, confused.

 _Oh._ Ruby pulled Crescent Rose into a defensive position to block out most of the explosion as the man shot the crystal.

She looked up in surprise a moment later when she felt nothing hit her. Her eyes widened when she spotted a familiar purple cape and a fading, but still familiar, set of purple glyphs.

_Aunt Glynda…_

Glynda Goodwitch reached up and adjusted her glasses before launching her own attack against the vehicle. Ruby could do little more than watch the way her purple star-shaped glyphs slammed into it and how she glowed right before seemingly summoning a storm. She drew her riding crop down and ice crystals tore from the clouds to pierce the airship's metal hull. 

A woman stepped into the open door of the ship and attacked back, her clothes lighting up like they were infused with fire.

She made a complicated gesture and the ground below Glynda exploded. Glynda flipped out of the way, then used her Semblance to pull the pieces of roof together like a large javelin. Every shot the woman on the airship took at the weapon, Glynda just reformed it and attacked again. 

Ruby gasped in quiet wonder when she split it into three moving parts to go at the ship from different angles.

A different sort of gasp left her throat when the woman on the ship used glyphs to destroy the debris in midair. Ruby glared up and switched Crescent Rose into her rifle form and started firing at the woman. More of the same glowing _things_ appeared on the ground and blew up the roof. Glynda used her Semblance to grab Ruby and whisk her out of the way before cartwheeling herself away. 

She stood to face the woman again, but the airship was flying off. Her head snapped around to Ruby and her eyes narrowed slightly.

"Ruby _Rose -"_ she started. Ruby threw her arms around her.

"Aunt Glynda!" she cried. Glynda huffed, gently pushed her away, and then grabbed her wrist and started pulling her to the edge of the roof with the ladder.

 _Ohhh I am_ **_so_ ** _screwed,_ she thought as she began climbing down. Glynda walked three steps behind her and only spoke to her when giving her a direction. Ruby kept her head down and stared at her feet. Was she being arrested? No...probably not? Could she be arrested for trying to apprehend a criminal? Maybe it would be property damage charges. 

When she finally looked up she found herself in a room not unlike an interrogation room at a police station.

Glynda paced around her. "I hope you realize your actions tonight will _not_ be taken lightly, young lady. You put yourself and others in great danger!"

"But Aunt Glynda, they started it!" she complained. Glynda looked at the tablet in her hand.

"Well if it were up to _me,_ you'd be sent home," she glanced at Ruby, "with a pat on the back." 

Ruby perked up. Glynda's look turned into a harsh glare and Ruby whipped her hands out of the way just before her riding crop came down on the table top.

"And a slap on the wrist!" She sighed and rolled her eyes a little. "But...there is someone here who would like to meet you." Aunt Glynda walked to the side of the room and a somewhat-familiar man walked in, with a plate of cookies. 

"Ruby Rose," he said, in a slightly ominous tone. His pale hair seemed to almost glow in the minimal light of the room. "You…" he peered at her over his glasses. "Have silver eyes."

Ruby glanced over at Glynda and then back at the man. "Uh…"

"So!" he said abruptly. "Where did you learn," he gestured to a video of Ruby fighting on the street that was playing on Glynda's tablet, "to do _this_?"

Ruby kicked her feet nervously. "S-Signal Academy," she stammered.

His eyebrows rose to nearly his hairline. "They taught you to use one of the most dangerous weapons ever designed?"

"Well, _one_ teacher in particular." 

"I see…"

He sat the cookies in front of her. She glanced up at Glynda and received a nod before starting to eat them as fast as possible.

He nodded. "It's just that I've only ever seen one other scythe wielder of that skill before. A dusty, old crow."

Ruby grinned around her mouthful of cookie. "Mmm! Thash muh unkul!" He raised an eyebrow at her, in that way Uncle Bart sometimes did when he was letting her know that while she was adorable, she wasn't _that_ adorable and needed to fix her behavior. She swallowed the mouthful quickly and wiped at her mouth. "Sorry. That's my Uncle Qrow! He's a teacher at Signal. I was complete _garbage_ before he took me under his wing -- uh. No pun intended."

The man took a sip from his mug. Ruby felt the nerves welling up again.

"And now I'm all like -- ' _Hoowaaaah'_ and _'Witchaaaa'_ !"

He chuckled. "So I've noticed." He sat his mug down on the table. "And what is an adorable girl, such as yourself, doing at a school designed to train warriors?"

Glynda snorted behind him. He looked over his shoulder at her and she busied herself with the tablet.

"Well…" Ruby started. She leaned forward a little. "I want to be a Huntress."

"You want to slay monsters?" he asked.

"Yeah! I only have two more years of training left at Signal, and then I'm going to apply to Beacon!" She was giddy just thinking about the school of her dreams. "Y'see; my sister's starting there this year, and he's trying to become a Huntress! And I'm trying to become a Huntress 'cause, well, I wanna help people! My family always taught us to help others, so I thought, "Hey, I might as well make a career out of it!" I mean, the police are alright, but Huntsmen and Huntresses are just so much more romantic and exciting and cool and just really, _gosh,_ you know!" She looked rapidly between Glynda and the man, grinning at them. Glynda looked less than impressed (having had to hear about how _romantic,_ and _exciting,_ and _super-duper cool!_ her job was from Ruby with a fair amount of regularity). The man paused for a moment.

"...Do you know who I am?" he asked, amusement clear in his tone.

Ruby calmed down a little. "You're Professor Ozpin. You're the Headmaster at Beacon."

He laughed once. "Well, hello."

"Nice to meet you!"

Ozpin leaned forward. "You want to come to my school?"

"More than _anything,_ " Ruby said.

He glanced over at Glynda. She rolled her eyes and 'hmmph'-ed.

He smiled at Ruby. "Well, okay."

Ruby froze in her seat and then grinned breathlessly at him. "Really?" she whispered. He nodded at her.

"Really. And, well, since I heard you refer to my Deputy Headmistress as 'Aunt Glynda', can I assume she can work through the details with you and your parents?" He looked up at her again. Glynda sighed.

"Yes. Good night, Headmaster," she said. Ruby nodded vigorously.

"Yes, yes, good night Professor Ozpin!" she echoed. They both watched Ozpin leave the room.

"Let's go, Ruby. We're going to find your sister and then I'll be taking you both back to Signal. I'll speak with your father in the morning."

Ruby stood from her seat and kicked the tip of her boot against the ground. "Thanks, Aunt Glynda."

…

After they found Yang running around near the Dust shop calling Ruby's name, the car ride back to Signal was quiet. Ruby and Yang were in the backseat together and Yang was texting their dad. Ruby hadn't told him about Ozpin or the offer to attend Beacon early yet, just that someone had tried to rob the Dust shop and Ruby and Aunt Glynda had gotten involved to try and stop them. She blinked rapidly against the exhaustion suddenly weighing her eyelids down and fought back a yawn.

Glynda glanced at her in the rearview. "You should rest, Ruby, you've had quite an exciting night."

Ruby rubbed at her eyes. "Wanna be awake when we see _A-Diē."_

Yang reached out and tugged her head onto his shoulder. " _Bà_ and Uncle Qrow already know we're on our way back with Aunt Glynda. Sleep for now." Ruby couldn't really argue with him, too tired now that the adrenaline of the fight was completely gone. She drifted off to sleep, dreaming of warm sunlight on her skin and a familiar-yet-strange laugh ringing out.

She woke up on Yang's back, still sleepy. Aunt Glynda was talking to her dad, words she couldn't quite make out in the haze of only being half-awake. She drifted in the space between awake and asleep for a few more minutes until her dad and uncle had bundled both girls into their own car. Glynda crouched next to Ruby's open door and pressed a quick kiss to her forehead.

"You did well tonight, Ruby. But let's try not to take on any more criminals one-on-one, hm?"

Ruby thought she nodded but her head felt so heavy it might not have moved at all. "Sorry, Aunt Glynda," she mumbled. Another kiss to her forehead and Glynda walked away. 

Qrow shut the door softly and followed her. Ruby drifted back to sleep to the sound of Yang playing some mobile game.

…

The next two weeks went by in a blur of her _A-Diē_ and Uncle Qrow yelling at each other, Aunt Glynda dropping by when she could with the necessary paperwork and their school uniforms -- "Just in case," she said, leveling a _look_ at their dad.

Taiyang gave in around the 12 day mark. He signed the papers, gave them to Glynda, and stalked off to sit with Zwei in the backyard.

Ruby looked at Yang.

She followed their dad.

He was sat in front of the rose bushes that crowded around the back porch. Ruby hopped over the railing and dropped to the ground next to him. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and she leaned into him. 

" _A-Diē,_ " she began. He shook his head.

" _Bǎobèi,_ " he said, "I'm not angry. Not at you or your uncle Qrow or your aunt Glynda."

A pause.

"Maybe I'm a little angry at Ozpin."

Ruby giggled. His other arm came up and wrapped around her. She closed her eyes.

"I don't have to go to Beacon, I can stay at Signal until I graduate," she said. He sighed and squished his cheek against the top of her head.

"When did my little girl get so grown up?" he lamented. "Worrying about your poor old _Bába_ ! No, _bǎobèi,_ I think you should go. This is a big opportunity for you."

They sat in the yard until the sun started to dip below the treeline and Zwei started scratching at the door to be let back in. 

Taiyang stopped her just before they got in the house and hugged her again, pressing his face into her hair.

"I'm so proud of you _,_ " he whispered. Ruby squeezed him back. He pulled away and wiped at his face, trying in vain to hide tears. "Alright! Let's go see if your _jiějiě_ wants to order in for dinner."

…

Taiyang grabbed both girls and cried as they waited for the airship to Beacon. "You have to promise to write as often as possible! I know you can text me on your Scrolls, but it's not the same as a good, old fashioned letter! Watch out for each other, too. There are gifts in your bags! Don't open them until you get your teams! And-"

Yang cut him off. " _Bá,_ please! We're gonna be fine! I'll make sure Ruby makes lots and lots of friends, we'll write to you every day AND send pictures, we'll brush our teeth and wash our faces, and all that jazz."

He wiped at his face and chucked a little. "I don't know when my little babies got so...adult!" he said. He gasped and started rifling through his pockets, then pulled out a pair of necklaces. Their emblems were merged and encased in their father's. Ruby tried to swallow around the lump in her throat as she clipped it on. She threw her arms around him and held on tight, trying not to cry.

Yang joined the hug and promptly lifted both of them off the ground.

"Show off!" Ruby yelled. Yang just laughed at her. 

_"Now boarding... Airship to Beacon...please have your tickets and a picture I.D. with you."_

The girls stepped back and grabbed their bags. Taiyang fretted over them for another minute until Yang grabbed Ruby's hand and pulled her away.

"We'll see you first school break, _Bá_!" he yelled over his shoulder as he dragged Ruby to the airship.

They followed an attendant to the bag holding area and set their suitcases down together. The attendant smiled at them and gestured out to the rest of the airship. "We will be docking at Beacon in a little over half an hour. Please feel free to wander around, there are areas for sitting, eating, and some space to stand. We will be making one stop before Beacon, and that will be to pick up students from Pharos Academy. Please also feel free to ask any questions about the trip to either myself or one of the other attendants." 

Yang smiled at her. "Thank you!"

The attendant nodded and went on her way. Yang spun and pounced on Ruby. "Oooooh I'm so _proud of you!!!!!_ " he squealed. "My baby sister, going to Beacon with me, two years early! This is the best day _ever_!" Ruby shoved at him until he let go.

"Please, stop."

They'd gone through this about a thousand times over the last two weeks. Yang stepped back exactly one pace and bounced on his toes.

"But I _am_ proud, Ruby!"

" _Jiě,_ how many times do I have to say, it was nothing?"

"It's not _nothing_ , Ruby, it's _incredible_. Everyone at Beacon's gonna think you're the bee's knees!"

Ruby's nerves were already frayed, she didn't even want to _think_ about people's opinions. She snapped.

"I don't want to be the bee's knees! I don't want to be any kind of knees, in fact! I just want to be a normal girl, with normal knees!" Yang looked shocked. His hands raised a little, then dropped.

"Aren't you excited?" he asked. Ruby felt close to tears.

"Of course I'm excited. I just…. I got moved ahead _two years_. I don't want anybody to think I'm, like, special, or anything," she explained. Yang wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"But you _are_ special."

A holo-screen opened up on the ship's window. Cyril Lock, the local news reporter, was talking about Roman Torchwick, the red-haired man Ruby and Glynda had nearly caught two weeks ago.

"...Another Dust shop robbery was lead by Roman Torchwick, who continues to evade authorities." The man's mugshot came up. "If you have any information on his whereabouts, please contact the Vale police department. Back to you, Lisa."

The mugshot was replaced by Lisa Lavender, another local newscaster. "Thank you, Cyril. In other news, this weekend's Faunus Civil Rights Protest took a dark turn when members of the White Fang disrupted the ceremony. The once peaceful organization, now led by Sienna Kahn, after the old leader Ghira B-"

The report was interrupted. A holograph of Glynda appeared. She smiled at the surrounding students.

"Hello, and welcome to Beacon!" she said. Yang pointed.

"It's Aunt Glynda!" he whispered into Ruby's ear.

"My name is Glynda Goodwitch," she continued. "You are among the privileged few who have received the honour of being selected to attend this prestigious academy. Our world is experiencing an incredible time of peace, and as future Hunters, it is your duty to uphold it. You have demonstrated the courage needed for such a task, and now it is our turn to provide you with the knowledge and the training to protect our world." The holograph faded out.

Ruby bounced forward to the now clear window. "Wow!" she breathed. She pointed excitedly. "Look, Yang, you can see Signal from here!" she said. Yang stepped up beside her and wrapped his arm over her shoulders again.

"Guess home isn't too far after all," Ruby said.

Yang patted her shoulder. "Beacon's our home now," he said.

Dry-heaving started up beside them. Both girls looked over curiously to find a blond boy doubled over by the wall. He stumbled by them, heaving all the way. Yang wrinkled up his nose. "Well...I guess the view isn't for everyone."

Ruby looked at him. "It was a nice moment while it lasted!" 

"Wonder who all we're gonna meet?"

"I just hope they're better than 'Vomit Boy'."

A smell hit her nose. She looked down and gagged.

"Oh, gross, Yang, there's puke on your shoe!" she cried. Yang looked horrified.

"Gross, gross, gross, _gross!_ " he yelled.

Ruby backed away from him. "Get away! Get away! Get away from me!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Bá", "A-Dié", "Bába" - Different variations of "Dad"  
> "Bǎobèi" - Endearment. "Treasured/Precious one". Can also just mean "baby".  
> 


	7. Chapter Two: The Shining Beacon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _"I'm Yang, and this is Ruby," he said. "And you're Pyrrha, right?"  
>  "Yes. I'm actually not sure where to go from here, would you be able to guide me, by chance?" Pyrrha looked hopefully at Yang. Ruby muffled a snort behind her hand, Yang looked like he was about to pass out.  
> "Uh...yeah! Rubes, you'll be good, right? You know where to go?"  
> "Yeah, of course!" she said.  
> (She did not, in fact, know where to go.)_
> 
> ~~~~
> 
> Welcome to Beacon, everybody! Where you'll make some of your best friends ever, and perhaps some of your worst enemies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this one is a little (a lot) late! I got caught up with school stuff and didn't have a chance to really sit down and work on writing. Also a lot of New Scenes! Greekfire! Ladybug! Jaune is here!  
> Weiss is here and she is such a bitch I love her. She's gonna work for this goddamn ''redemption'' arc.  
> Also! The last bit of the chapter goes from Ruby's POV to Blake's POV (still third person ofc).

Ruby and Yang stepped off the airship and were promptly shoved aside by Vomit Boy. He hurled his guts up in a nearby trashcan and they moved past as quickly as possible.

As they stood outside of the open gates of Beacon Academy, Ruby noticed every single new and interesting weapon she'd never gotten to see before. 

"Oh  _ wow _ is that a collapsible staff? Oh my gosh, a sword that uses dust!"

She froze upon spotting the most famous set of weapons in the world of tournament fights. She charged forward as Yang apologized to the pair of students with the weapons she'd just been gushing over. Yang cried out after her. "Wha- Ruby!"

The girl holding the weapons -- Pyrrha Nikos, five time Mistral Tournament Champion, wielder of Miló and Akoúo̱, the absolute coolest weapons Ruby has ever seen besides her own Crescent Rose and her uncle's Harbinger -- looked uncomfortable with the girl who was currently talking to her and even more so as Ruby approached. Ruby skidded to a halt in front of her and pointed.

"Are those Miló and Akoúo̱?" she asked breathlessly.

"Um…" she said.

The girl next to Pyrrha glared at Ruby. "Excuse me, this is a private conversation!" 

Ruby flinched a little. "I- I'm sorry," she stammered. 

Pyrrha suddenly drew herself up. "It's fine," she said. "Yes, these are Miló and Akoúo̱. Are you familiar with my fights?"

Ruby lit up.

"Yes! I have all of them recorded! Your work with your weapons is  _ impeccable _ , and the switching between forms is so  _ smooth _ , what do you do for upkeep on the gears?"

Pyrrha covered her mouth and laughed. Her eyes sparkled. "Thank you. I believe weapons are an extension of the self, so I take care of mine as best as I can. Miló takes at least 15 minutes a night, but on Tuesdays and Fridays I take longer to disassemble her and clean every piece before putting her back together."

Ruby bounced on her toes. "I think weapons are a part of us, too! Crescent Rose takes me  _ hours  _ to take care of!"

"Oh? What sort of weapon is Crescent Rose?" she asked. Ruby pulled Crescent Rose off the back of her belt and let her unfold.

"Crescent Rose is a  _ scythe _ ?" Pyrrha asked.

"She's  _ also  _ a high-calibre semi-automatic sniper rifle!" Ruby said, folding her up into rifle form.

Pyrrha looked impressed.

The white-haired girl cleared her throat. They both looked over at her just as Yang ran up.

"I'm -- huff -- so sorry -- huff -- about my sister! She gets excited about weapons." 

Pyrrha shook her head. "No, no, it's fine! Your sister is fine, most people don't even know my weapon's names, actually. And she had some wonderful questions about their design and upkeep." She smiled brilliantly at Yang, who flushed a little. 

"I'm Yang, and this is Ruby," he said. "And you're Pyrrha, right?"

"Yes. I'm actually not sure where to go from here, would you be able to guide me, by chance?" Pyrrha looked hopefully at Yang. Ruby muffled a snort behind her hand, Yang looked like he was about to pass out.

"Uh...yeah! Rubes, you'll be good, right? You know where to go?"

"Yeah, of course!" she said.

(She did not, in fact, know where to go.)

Yang started guiding Pyrrha away as the white-haired girl who was talking to her originally gaped at them.

She suddenly rounded on Ruby and started shouting at her.

"You- you- you little  _ pest _ !" she hollered. She stormed towards Ruby, and Ruby backed up quickly.

Her heel caught something and she went sprawling to the ground and landed in a pile of suitcases.

The girl shrieked in fury.

"Now look what you've done! Do you have any idea how dangerous that was?" She snatched a vial of powdered dust out of one of the cases and started shaking it at her. "These cases are filled with Dust, mined and purified from the Schnee Quarry!"

Ruby stammered."I- Uh- Sorry-"

"What are you?  _ Braindead _ ? Dust! Fire, Gravity, Electricity, Ice!  _ Energy _ ! Dust!"

_ Of course I know what Dust is _ , she thought indignantly. But puffs of it were blowing in her face with every shake of the girl's fist. Ruby coughed. "I- I know…"

"Are you even listening to me?" she yelled. "Is  _ any  _ of this sinking in? What do you have to say for yourself?"

Ruby's eyes watered and her throat itched and-

"Aa-"

"What?!"

"Aaa- _ CHOO!" _

The air around them crackled with the different Dusts flying in the air and reacting. Distantly Ruby heard the girl yelp and the glass bottle hitting the ground under the sound of lightning and fire in her ears.

Ruby shook her head, trying to get rid of the ringing in her ears, while the girl's furious yells got worse.

"Unbelievable!" she shrieked. "This is  _ exactly  _ the kind of thing I was talking about!"

Ruby felt the blood prickling under her skin, face growing too warm. "I'm really,  _ really  _ sorry!" she cried.

"Ugh, you complete  _ dolt _ ! What are you even  _ doing  _ here? Aren't you a little  _ young  _ to be attending Beacon?"

"W-well, I...uhm…"

"This isn't your ordinary combat school! It isn't just sparring and practice, you know! We're here to fight  _ monsters  _ here, so...watch where you're going!"

Ruby finally snapped. "Look, I said I'm sorry _ , Princess _ !" The white-haired girl took a step back as shock crossed her face. Her mouth snapped open, probably to snarl another insult at Ruby. They were interrupted by a new voice.

"It's Heiress, actually."

They both looked over. An unfamiliar girl walked up, holding the fallen vial of powdered Dust in one hand, and a book in the other. She raised an eyebrow at the pair of squabbling girls. "Weiss Schnee, Heiress of the Schnee Dust Company; one of the largest producers of energy propellant in the world." 

Weiss smirked smugly at Ruby. She tossed her hair over her shoulder, "Finally, some recognition!"

The other girl scoffed and stepped closer to Ruby. "The  _ same  _ company famous for its controversial labour forces and  _ questionable  _ business partners."

Weiss sputtered, rage turning her face bright pink. "What- how dare- The nerve of- !" She snatched the vial out of the girl's hand and stormed off. 

Ruby called after her. "I'm sorry! I promise I'll make it up to you!" She rocked back on her heels and chewed on her lip.

She kind of wanted to cry.

"Guess I'm not the only one having a rough first day," she mumbled.

A hand touched her shoulder gently. "Hey," the girl said. Ruby jumped.

"Hi," she said. 

"I'm Blake," she said, "Blake Belladonna."

Ruby smiled at her. "I'm Ruby Rose!"

Blake was very pretty, Ruby thought, with her long, black, curly hair, warm brown skin, and mismatched eyes. Heat rose in her cheeks and she looked away.

"I think we’re supposed to go to the auditorium next, right?” she said. 

"Yeah."

They set off through the open gates at the front of the school and Ruby nearly immediately tripped over Vomit Boy. (She should stop calling him that, even if it was just in her head). Blake's arm wrapped around her waist to keep her from falling over.

"I'm sorry!" she yelped. He stood shakily and wiped at his mouth.

"No, uh, it's my fault," he said. "Probably should have found a trash can a little more out of the way, huh?" His eyes were fixed on something around Ruby's stomach. Were the lacings on her corset coming loose?

Ruby and Blake glanced at each other, and Ruby felt her face flush again when she realized Blake's face was very, very close to hers, by virtue of the arm still around her. She stepped away and Blake coughed politely into her hand. Ruby held out a hand to him, trying for a warm smile.

"I'm Ruby!"

Blake followed her lead. "Blake."

Vomit Boy looked a little more relaxed. "Uh, I'm Jaune! Jaune Arc. Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue, ladies love it!"

Ruby muffled a laugh into her hand and Blake smirked slightly.

"Do they?" she asked him. He rubbed the back of his neck and blushed.

"They will! Or, at least, I hope they will...my dad always said- uh. Nevermind."

Awkward silence filled the air. Jaune shuffled his feet, Ruby tapped her the toe of her boot against the ground, and Blake's fingers twitched against her thighs.

Ruby coughed.

"Well, uh, do you wanna come to the auditorium with us?" she asked him. 

"Oh, uh, sure!" he squeaked. "Unless...I'd be interrupting?"

Ruby shook her head and threw her hands up. "No! Nope! Blake and I are...friends? We just met! Nothing to interrupt!" Her face was burning. Was there still fire dust on her face? 

Blake cleared her throat.

"We should get going. The courtyard is empty now."

Ruby and Jaune's heads snapped around, searching for other people. Blake was right, of course, everyone else was gone.

Ruby really had no clue how to get to the auditorium.

Blake and Jaune were looking at her. Waiting for...what exactly? Directions? Yang went straight through the gates…

And then disappeared in the crowd.

"I'm sure we'll find it if we just follow this path," she said. Jaune smiled brightly and immediately stepped to her side, ready to follow. Blake shrugged and stood by her other side. The three set off along the big path leading into the school with Jaune chattering away. He had a nice voice, Ruby decided. His hands moved a lot as he spoke, describing his family -- he had seven sisters -- and his home -- a small-ish village in northern Saunus -- and his dreams of becoming a hero.

The conversation eventually swung around to the topic of weapons. Jaune toed the ground shyly and revealed his sword and sheath-shield, a classic combination. "Her name is Crocea Mors," he explained. "She was my great-grandfather's when he fought in the Great War."

Ruby bounced excitedly. "Ohhh I love classic weapons! And you seem to take care of her really well, I'd have never guessed she was over 80 years old!" She turned abruptly to Blake, smiling broadly.

Blake chuckled and pulled a sword off her back. "This is Gambol Shroud," she said. "It's a chain-scythe, katana, pistol, and its sheath is also a blade."

Ruby's hands fluttered over the pitch-black metal, noting every bit of wear and damage to it. Blake smiled slightly and put Gambol Shroud back.

"What about you, Ruby?" Jaune asked. Ruby rushed to grab Crescent Rose from the small of her back, allowing her to unfold into scythe-mode.

She smiled breathlessly at them. " _ This, _ " she began, "is Crescent Rose!" 

Jaune jumped. "Is that a  _ scythe _ ?" he asked.

"Yep! She's also a high-calibre semi-automatic sniper rifle!"

"Uh….a what?" he asked. Ruby blinked.

"It's also a gun," Blake cut in. She reached out and ran a hand over the shaft closest to the blade. "Did you build it yourself?" she asked.

Ruby nodded and folded Crescent Rose back up. "Yeah! Every student at Signal forges their own weapon. My older sister has shotgun gauntlets! They're called Ember Celica and -"

"Ruby?" Blake tried.

"They're soooo cool, I remember when he was building them he had to make so many adjustments and -"

"Ruby."

"He nearly blew his arms off at one point! But that's Yang for you!"

"Ruby!"

"Huh?" she asked. Blake sighed.

"I think we're lost."

Ruby looked around, trying to find anything that looked like an auditorium. Or school building at all. These were probably the dorms?

Oh god  _ dammit _ .

"Do you think there's, like, a directory?" Jaune asked. Blake and Ruby started heading back the way they'd come with him trailing behind. "Maybe a food court?"

...

It felt like they'd been wandering around for hours by the time they stumbled upon the open doors and congregation of new students. They had finally made it to the auditorium. Ruby pushed up onto her tiptoes to try and find Yang. She heard him before she saw him.

"Ruby! Over here! I saved you a spot!" he called.

Ruby turned to Blake and Jaune and gestured. "Come on!" she said. Blake grabbed her hand and laced their fingers together. Ruby jumped and blushed. 

"So we won't get separated," Blake explained. Ruby nodded. 

"Oh, yeah, of course!" she said. Ruby grabbed Jaune's hand as well and started leading them to Yang. 

When they got there, Yang grabbed Ruby by the shoulders and gave her a hug. "How's your first day goin', baby sister?" he asked. Ruby shoved at him until he let go.

"You mean since you  _ ditched me  _ and I, quite literally,  _ exploded _ ?"

"Yiiikes...meltdown already?" He did look a little guilty about it. 

"No," Blake said, "she actually exploded. There was an...incident with some Dust." Blake's voice was perfectly even, but Yang's eyes widened and he started grabbing at Ruby to check for injuries.

"Shit, Ruby, are you okay? What happened?"

Ruby choked a little on the sudden lump in her throat. Her eyes pricked with tears and, embarrassingly enough, her voice shot up an octave. "Th-there was fire and lighting and- and maybe some ice? And there was this  _ really  _ crabby girl -"

"Weiss Schnee," Blake cut in.

"Yeah, Weiss Schnee, and she kept yelling and I just wanted her to  _ stop _ and -"

"YOU!" A horribly familiar shriek came from behind.

Ruby jumped back and Blake caught her. "Oh Brothers, it's happening again!" she wailed. Blake's hold tightened just a bit and Ruby felt the muscles of her neck flex from where her face was hidden.

Weiss' face was red with anger. "You nearly blew us off the side of the cliff!" She turned her glare up at Blake. "And  _ you _ ," she hissed, pointing a finger. "How dare you  _ insult  _ and  _ embarrass  _ me in front of this- this- this  _ child _ !"

Ruby shifted until Blake let her down and stepped forward.

Yang slid in front of her. "Alright. It sounds like you three just got off on the wrong foot, yeah? Let's all take a deeeeeep breath and try again!" He breathed in through his nose and smiled broadly at each of them. They all finally relented (there really was no arguing with Yang when he got like this) and took their own deep breaths. He clapped. "Good! Now let's introduce ourselves! I'm Yang, Ruby's older sister!"

Ruby smiled shakily. "I'm Ruby." Blake stood silently until Ruby elbowed her gently. 

"Blake."

"Jaune Arc!" Jaune piped up.

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Weiss Schnee."

"Alright, well let's all try to be friends, okay?" Yang said. "It's important that we forge strong bonds here." Ruby brightened up at the mention of "friends".

"Y-yeah! I'm super sorry Weiss, can we start over? We can go shopping for school supplies together! Or- or talk about dust and weapons! You're probably super knowledgeable about which types of dust are suited for what weapons, right?" Ruby grabbed Weiss' hands and tried to put on her best 'please don't hate me I'm very sweet and loveable!' expression. 

She scoffed.

"No way. I'll forgive you for this morning, but I'm not here to make  _ friends.  _ Stay out of my way." She turned on her heel and stormed off.

Ruby wilted, curling her shoulders in. "Oh…okay…" she whispered.

She jumped as a heavy hand clapped down on her shoulder. When she looked up, Jaune was smiling at her. "Hey, don't worry about her, Ruby! I still wanna be your friend!"

Blake touched the back of her arm. "Me, too."

Yang swept all three of them into a hug, lifting them all off the ground. "Awwwww I'm so  _ proud of youuuuuuuu _ !" he squealed.

Ruby started shoving at his face and arms. "Yanggggg stooooopppppp! Put us down!"

Microphone feedback wailed. Yang dropped them and clapped his hands over his ears.

"Ahem." They all looked up. Professor Ozpin finished readying his microphone. "I'll... keep this brief. You have traveled here today in search of knowledge, to hone your craft and acquire new skills, and when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy, in need of purpose, direction." 

Students all around Ruby, Yang, Blake, and Jaune whispered. Ozpin raised his hand, commanding silence without a word of his own.

"You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step." 

He nodded to Glynda and walked away. She stepped up to the microphone.

"You will gather in the ballroom tonight; tomorrow, your initiation begins. Be ready. You are dismissed." 

The other students moved towards the doors.

"He seemed…kinda off? Don't you think?" Yang said, still watching the place where Ozpin and Glynda had been.

"It's almost like he wasn't even there…" Ruby said. She looked up at Blake. "What do you think, Blake?"

Blake was staring at the stage. She blinked twice and then looked at Ruby. "Huh?"

Yang snorted. "Let's get going, we can probably make it to the ballroom and set up our sleeping rolls before the others if we hurry. I know a shortcut." He winked.

They turned to go and Yang walked smack into Pyrrha. "Guh?" he mumbled.

"Oh, hello again!" Pyrrha said. "I was hoping to find some sort of map around here." She smiled brightly at Yang.

"You can come with us!" Yang squeaked. Pyrrha clapped her hands. 

"Oh that would be just grand! You're sure it's not a bother?"

Yang shook his head rapidly. Ruby had to turn and hide her face so she wouldn't laugh at her. Jaune was pressing his lips together and closing his eyes like if he couldn't see it he wouldn't laugh, and Blake…

Ruby's eyes widened a little and her face started to burn.

Blake's face was so soft, watching Yang reassure Pyrrha that  _ no, no it's no trouble at all! We're all about helping people! C'mon, come with us! _ . Her eyes were gentle and her mouth was curved up ever so slightly. She turned to Ruby with that same soft, open expression and Ruby felt like she was about to combust.

Ruby coughed and poked Yang in the back. "Anyway," Yang said. His ears were red and he rubbed at the back of his neck. "Just come with us! We can get set up all together!"

Pyrrha smiled sweetly and nodded, lacing her arm with Yang's. "Lead the way."

Ruby choked on her laughter.

\-------

Blake scrubbed at her hands in the too-cold sink water. What the hell had she been thinking earlier? She had sworn to herself that Beacon would be just a stepping stone. A way to protect herself until she was ready to be back in the world, until she was sure she wasn't going to be hunted down by the White Fang.

She glared into the mirror.

_ From now on _ , she thought,  _ no more friendly Blake. I need to keep from making connections deeper than a basic partnership. I can't risk attachment.  _

No matter  _ how  _ cute Ruby Rose was.

In fact, why was she so drawn to Ruby in the first place? Everything about her should be red flags for Blake. Red and black outfit, rose insignias, red hair, red weapon.

It all screamed  _ Adam _ , and yet…

She shook her head.  _ No,  _ she thought.  _ No more. Cold and distant. Aloof _ .

She smoothed the front of her sleeping yukata, grabbed her bag, and stepped out of the bathroom into the grand ballroom. Her ears twitched slightly under her bow as she scanned the room.

_ Somewhere by the wall... _ there.

She quickly made her way to the empty spot. There was plenty of room for her stuff and most others had congregated closer to the windows and centre of the room, so no worry about anyone noticing her ears.

"Blake!" Ruby called. She was waving at Blake from between Jaune and Yang. They waved as well.

She clenched her jaw and pretended she didn't notice them. Quickly she set up her sleeping roll the school had given them and tried to settle down. Hopefully if people saw her reading they'd just leave her be.

She lit a candle and pulled out her current read,  _ The Man With Two Souls _ . She was a little over a quarter through it, and while she was enjoying the plot, the writing itself was a little dry. If she could get into it though, she wouldn't be able to pull herself out until she was good and tired.

Just as she started to slip into the story, a voice piped up.

"Hell-lo again~!"

Blake peered over the top of the book, frustrated. If she had less control over her ears, she would have flattened them.

"Yes?" she asked.  _ Ice, cold, aloof. _

Yang was smiling at her, gripping Ruby's wrist. "Hi Blake!"

Ruby wasn't looking at her. Her heart hurt.

"Hello."

Yang sort of glanced at Ruby, then returned to looking at Blake. "I like your bow!"

"Thanks."

His smile became strained. "It goes great with your...pajamas!"

"Right..."

It hurt to act like this. She wasn't expecting that. Was she really so hung up on how someone she'd met a mere few hours viewed her?

_ Fuck _ .

Why was Yang still trying to talk to her?

"Nice night, don't you think?" Yang asked, trying again. Blake finally snapped. Just a little.

"Yes, it's lovely! Almost as lovely as this book." She looked pointedly at the girl. Yang smiled at her, energy renewed. "Which I will  _ continue  _ to read."

Take the damn hint already!

Yang continued smiling at her.

Frustration seeped into her next words. "As soon as you  _ leave. _ " She resolutely stuffed her nose back into the book and tried to pretend they weren't there.

"Yeah, this girl's a lost cause," Yang said. He reached out for Ruby's shoulders, trying to lead her away. 

"What's it about?" Ruby asked. Her voice was so small.

Blake couldn't resist looking up. "Huh?"

She was held captive by Ruby's silver eyes catching on hers. 

"Your book," she said. "Does it have a name?"

Blake's fingers tightened around the cover, just a little. "Well...it's about a man with two souls, each fighting for control over his body."

Yang scoffed. "Yeah, sounds  _ real _ lovely," he muttered.

Ruby smiled at her, and Blake couldn't even muster up annoyance at Yang. "I love books. Yang used to read to me every night before bed. Stories of heroes and monsters... They're one of the reasons I want to be a Huntress!"

Her voice was so earnest. "And why is that?" Blake asked, laughing a little. "Hoping you'll live happily ever after?" She slid the book closed and sat it off to the side. She curled up over her knees to give Ruby her full attention.

Ruby sat down in front of her. "Well, I'm hoping we all will. As a girl, I wanted to be just like those heroes in the books... Someone who fought for what was right, and protected people who couldn't protect themselves!"

"That's... very ambitious for a child." Blake's mouth pulled down a little. She squeezed her arms around her legs. "Unfortunately, the real world isn't the same as a fairy tale."

Ruby tilted her head to the side. "Well, that's why we're here! To make it better."

_ Fuck.  _ Blake's heart felt full to bursting. How could Ruby still be so...good? Her ideals probably weren't dissimilar to Blake's own at Ruby's age.

They stared at each other for what was most likely a moment, but felt like an eternity.

"Oooooh I'm so prooouuuuud of my baby sisterrrrr!" Yang scooped Ruby up off the floor and cuddled her to his chest.

Ruby's foot slammed into Yang's gut. "Cut it out!" 

The pair started to play fight. Fists that barely made contact, kicks that weren't meant to hurt.

_ Fuck it.  _ "Well, Ruby, Yang, if you're still okay with it, I'd love to-" She was cut off by a familiar, irritating voice.

"What in the world is going on here?! Don't you realize some of us are trying to sleep?!"

Yang and Ruby's heads snapped around. Ruby had Yang's leg yanked way up, trying to unbalance him, and Yang had Ruby in a headlock.

Yang released Ruby and pointed at Weiss.

"Oh,  _ not you again _ !" Both girls yelled. Ruby jumped and looked around guiltily.

"Guys, Yang, shh, Weiss is right, people are trying to sleep!"

Weiss scoffed. "Oh so  _ now  _ you're on my side!"

Ruby whipped around angrily. "I was always on your side!"

Yang stepped right into Weiss' space, towering over the girl. "Yeah, what's your problem with my sister? She's only trying to be nice!"

Weiss crossed her arms and glared up at Yang. "She is a  _ hazard  _ to my  _ health!" _

Blake sighed silently and gathered her things. She stepped up beside Ruby and looked at her.

"So where are we sleeping?" she asked. Ruby looked over at the fighting pair, chewed on her bottom lip, and finally gestured at Blake to follow. 

Pyrrha looked up first as they approached. Ruby knelt down and said something to her, gesturing over at where Yang and Weiss were still sniping at each other.

Pyrrha nodded and set off. Ruby scootched some things out of the way and turned to Blake again. "You can set your roll down right there and we all have our bags in a pile right here!" 

Blake did as instructed and realized Ruby had moved her sister's stuff so Blake was laying next to her. 

_ Don't blush, dummy. It doesn't mean anything. She's just nice. _

Blake settled down. The lights were slowly turning out. She wasn't tired yet, but she didn't want to risk trying to read without the light.

She didn't need to be found out.

Pyrrha and Yang eventually returned, laying down next to each other and whispering. Blake rolled away from them and realized.

Ruby was...very close. And her hand was fisted around the hem of Blake's yukata.

Just past Ruby, Jaune was fast asleep. Yang wasn't paying attention to them. 

Blake slowly and carefully removed Ruby's hand from her pajamas and then just...left their hands together.

The last light went out and Blake let herself drift off to sleep.

_ Maybe...a closer partnership...wouldn't be so bad… _ was her last coherent thought.


	8. A/N

hey so. i've kind of lost the thread of this plot (especially with volume 8 airing), so i'm discontinuing this version of the story and am gonna rewrite it. please keep your eyes peeled for it! sorry </3

**Author's Note:**

> you can find my designs for this AU (which btw are updated frequently when I get a new idea 😔😔) and some snippets and such [here](https://branwyns.tumblr.com/tagged/partner%20swap%20au) and [here](https://rosebelladonna.tumblr.com/tagged/ladybug%20partners%20au)


End file.
